December 18th, 1995 we celebrated your 21st birthday together! We had only been dating a month but I wanted to make it special! I didn’t have a lot of money but you are only 21 once...and you chose to hang out with me! So I scrapped the funds I needed to rent a limousine because you had never been in one. I knew then you deserved to be spoiled. I loved surprising you and seeing the look on your face when it pulled up to get you. Priceless! Your smile stayed the same even though the driver almost killed us, he limo was falling apart and the food at dinner was not that good. The way you smiled at me made feel on top of the world and it was your birthday!
When I look at this picture..I see how young we were. New. Untried. Innocent as to what is to come. Insanely attracted :) You were a hopeless romantic and I was a skeptical observer, waiting for the shoe to drop, for the trust to unravel and you to not be whom you claimed to be. We talked for hours, laughed until we cried, and kissed until our lips were chapped 😍 Standing there with arms wrapped around each other I had no idea that I would be your wife, the mother of your children, your partner in everything. I could not even fathom that you were to become the other half of my soul, the love of my life, my rock, my heart.
25 years later the shoe never dropped, the trust never unraveled and you were EXACTLY who you claimed to be and much much more! You taught me how to love again by being consistent and kind, even when I tried to push you away. You restored my faith in men who back up their words with actions, showed up, and treated others with such respect. Your love gave me courage to face the pain. Your consistency kept me secure. Your patience gave me the space to figure out how to be me! Your encouragement made me believe in myself when I usually had such deep doubts. The way you served others made me a better person to be less about myself. Your faith in how big your God is humbled me to dream bigger!
When I look at this picture... I see two ordinary people, complete opposites, on different paths that God put together and used to write an amazing love story to glorify Him. I look at this picture and know how ABSURDLY well I was loved, how blessed I am, and what a treasure I was given with you.
Happy Birthday in Heaven Babe, oh how I wish you were here so I can hold you one more time. Look into your eyes and see myself the way you did. Tell you that I still get butterflies in my stomach when I think of you and my eyes light up when I talk about you. I miss you desperately but I will love you for eternity. #Sideways8
“And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.” 1 John 2:17
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